World Cup 2014: Algeria – the secrets behind the players

Which Algeria player made his debut against England in the last World Cup? Which one won’t be bothered by the heat in Brazil?

John Terry, left, and Frank Lampard shake hands with the Algeria goalkeeper Raïs M'Bolhi, right, after he denied England on his full debut in the last World Cup. Photograph: Tom Jenkins for the Guardian

This article is part of the Guardian’s World Cup 2014 Experts’ Network, a co-operation between 32 of the best media organisations from the countries who have qualified for the finals in Brazil. theguardian.com is running previews from four countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 12 June.

Saphir Taider

Saphir Taider was born in France to a Tunisian father and Algerian mother. While he chose to play for Algeria, his younger brother Nabil plays for Tunisia. Saphir started his career with Grenoble in France before moving to Bologna in Italy, from where he was signed by Internazionale in 2013.

Faouzi Ghoulam

The left-back has seven brothers, one of whom, Nabil, represented France in the 2004 world cross-country championships. In January of this year, Faouzi joined Napoli from his French club, Saint Etienne.

Yacine Brahimi

The 24-year-old rejected a call-up for the last World Cup because he still hoped to play for the country of his birth, France, whom he represented at every level up to under-21. However, the former Rennes player who moved to Granada in Spain made his debut for Algeria last year.

Raïs M’Bolhi

In 2006 the goalkeeper spent six months with Hearts in Scotland but never made an appearance. He kept a clean sheet on his first start for his country – against England at the last World Cup.

Nacereddine Khoualed

The centre-back will have little difficult coping with extreme heat in Brazil: he hails from Biskra, a town in the south of Algeria where the temperature regularly reaches 48C. Not ideal for playing football, but perfect for date-growing: through his childhood Khoualed spent every spring picking dates.